In general, a fuel cell has a poor starting property at a low temperature as compared with another power source. A power generation efficiency of such a fuel cell decreases with lowering of a temperature. When the temperature is low, a desired voltage/current cannot be supplied, and a device sometimes cannot be started.
In view of such a situation, a technology is disclosed in which a short circuit is constituted between an input terminal and an output terminal (input/output terminals) of the fuel cell connected to a system load, and during starting at a low temperature, the fuel cell is connected to the short circuit by use of a relay or the like, to supply a short-circuit current to a fuel cell main body, whereby heat is generated by the fuel cell itself to warm up the fuel cell (e.g., see Patent Document 1).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-93143